AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. 



In the Austrian Delegation, June 5, Count 

 Kalnoky made u further statement concerning 

 ii affairs. Reiterating in substance wluit 

 lia<l been spoken by him in the Hungarian Dele- 

 gation, he said it would In- an illusion to sup- 

 iiat general disarmament was at hand, 

 or I hat it would he possible uinler existing cir- 

 cumstances; and that he would consider it a 

 material gain if a truce to the increase of the 

 armaments could be brought about. So long 

 as other powers continued their military prepa- 

 rations, Austria-Hungary and her allies must 

 reckon with a similar necessity. 



In t lie same place, June 9, Count Kalnoky said 

 that attacks based upon a false interpretation 

 of his language had been made upon him by 

 certain German papers, who charged him with 

 lack of fidelity to the triple alliance. Ger- 

 many, he said, proposed to increase her military 

 strength in order to increase her own feeling of 

 security. Austria had no need to follow her 

 example, as she was fully conscious of her 

 strength. The allied powers had always held 

 that the triple alliance did not exclude any 

 member from sustaining friendly relations with 

 other powers. The relations of Austria-Hungary 

 with Russia were amicable, and he desired that 

 they should remain so. In conclusion, he said 

 that Austria-Hungary continued to adhere to 

 her treaty obligations with the same steadfast- 

 ness and loyalty as hitherto ; that she had made 

 no political evolutions, and would make none. 



Commercial Treaties. Early in the year 

 negotiations were opened for commercial trea- 

 t ies wit h Roumania and with Russia. The nego- 

 tiations with Roumania did not contemplate any 

 fixed duties, but simply a provision for the mu- 

 tual application of the mpst-favored-natipn 

 clause for an indefinite period, both parties 

 being at liberty to terminate the agreement 

 upon one year's notice. Negotiations with Russia 

 were also based upon the reciprocal application 

 of the most- favored-nation clause. Pending 

 the negotiations it was agreed that the Russian 

 maximum tariff should not be imposed on im- 

 ports from Austria-Hungary until further no- 

 tice, and that the negotiations should be with a 

 view of giving to Austria-Hungary the same 

 commercial advantages as those enjoyed by 

 France under the Franco-Russian treaty. 



Austria. The different provinces composing 

 the Empire of Austria, the Cisleithan monarchy, 

 are represented in a central parliament called 

 the Reichsrath. which is convened annually. 

 This body comprises an upper and a lower 

 house, either of which may initiate legislation. 

 The Herrenhaus, or House of Lords, consisted 

 in 1892 of 19 princes of the imperial family, 68 

 hereditary lords, 10 archbishops, 7 bishops of 

 princely title, and 125 life members nominated 

 I ly the Emperor. The Abgeordnetenhaus, or 

 House of Deputies, has 353 elected members, of 

 whom 85 represent the landed proprietors. 118 

 the towns, 21 the chambers of commerce and 

 industry, and 129 the rural districts. The term 

 of the llouse of Deputies is six years. In case 

 of dissolution new elections must be held within 

 six months. The number of deputies appor- 

 tioned to each province is as follows : Bohemia, 

 '.i'-': (ialicia, 63; Lower Austria, 37; Moravia, 

 30; Styria, 23; Tyrol, 18; Upper Austria, 17; 



Coastland, 12; Carniola, 10; Silesia, 10; Carin- 

 thia, !) ; Hukowina, 9; Dalmatia, 9; Sal/burg. 5; 

 Vorarlberg, 3. Each province has also its own 

 Parliament, or Landtag, which legislutcs upon 

 all mattery not reserved to the Reichsrath or to 

 the Crown. 



The Austrian Ministry in 1893 was composed 

 as follows: 1'resjdcnt of the Council and Min- 

 ister of the Interior, Graf Eduard Taaffe, ap- 

 pointed Aug. 19, 1879; Minister of Finance, Dr. 

 E. Steinbach; Minister of Public Instruction and 

 Ecclesiastical Affairs, Dr. Paul Gautsch, Baron 

 von Frankenthurn : Minister of Agriculture, 

 Graf Julius Falkenhayn ; Minister of Commerce 

 and National Economy, Marquis von Bacque- 

 hem ; Minister of National Defense, Field-Mar- 

 shal Graf Zeno von Welsersheimb; Minister of 

 Justice, Graf Friedrich von Schonborn ; with- 

 out portfolios, Baron von Prazak, Ritter von 

 Zuleski, and Graf Gandolf von KhQnberg. 



Finance. The budget for 1898 estimates the 

 total revenue at 609,572,085 florins, of which 

 742,500 florins are derived from the Council of 

 State; 1,057.518 florins from the Ministry of the 

 Interior; 327.593 florins from the Ministry of 

 Defense ; 6.064,124 florins from the Ministry of 

 Public Worship and Instruction: 3,306,691 flor- 

 ins from the Ministry of Finance; 36,110,000 

 florins from the land tax; 32,349,000 florins 

 from the house tax ; 27,737,000 florins from the 

 income tax ; 11,508,000 florins from the industry 

 tax ; 39,584,000 florins from customs ; 104,227,- 

 080 florins from excise ; 85,227,450 florins from 

 the tobacco tax ; 36,067,000 florins from judicial 

 fees: 20,000,000 florins from stamps; 21,395,581 

 florins from the salt tax; 16,771,000 florins from 

 the state lottery ; 2,653,100 florins from various 

 indirect taxes;* 4,833,189 florins represent the 

 receipts from the state property; 79,837,600 

 florins the income from the railroads; 34,701,- 

 000 florins that from the post-office and tele- 

 graphs; 3,119,920 florins that from various en- 

 terprises ; 5,025,580 florins are the yield of the 

 forests and domains; 8,236,657 florins that of 

 the mines ; and 640,166 florins that of other real 

 property; 1,010,000 florins are the receipts of the 

 Ministry of Justice; and 584,297 florins are de- 

 rived from various sources. These receipts, 

 making a total of 583,113,246 florins, form the 

 ordinary revenue, to which must be added the 

 extraordinary revenue, amounting to 26,458,839 

 florins. The total expenditure is estimated at 

 608,684.794 florins, including 48,500,528 florins 

 of extraordinary expenditure. Of the ordinary 

 expenditure, amounting to 560,184.266 florins, 

 4,650,000 florins are for the imperial household, 

 72.723 florins for the Cabinet Chancery, 710,223 

 florins for the Reichsrath, 21,900 florins for the 

 Supreme Court. 1,091,329 florins for the Council 

 of Ministers, 17,829,936 florins for the Ministry 

 of the Interior, 16,576.488 florins for the Minis- 

 try of Defense, 1,694,235 florins for the support 

 of the Ministry of Instruction, 7.064,970 florins 

 for Public Worship, 13.722,159 florins for Edu- 

 cation, 14,020,816 florins for the Ministry of 

 Agriculture, 83,904,512 florins for the Ministry 

 of Finance, 20,812,100 florins for the Ministry 

 of Justice, 99.520,293 florins for the Ministry of 

 Commerce, 173,300 florins for the Board of Con- 

 trol, 147,167,093 florins for interest and the 

 sinking fund of the public debt, 887,097 florins 



